UCF puts Central Florida talent on display

Former Oviedo quarterback Blake Bortles recorded a career-high tworushing touchdowns to help defeat Southern Mississippi 38-31 in double overtime Saturday.

Mount Dora's Jordan Ozerities killed some (certainly not all) early Golden Eagles momentum when he made his second career interception early in the third quarter and Dr. Phillips' Shawn Mofitt entered the game 8-for-8 on field goals before his first miss last night before an announced crowd of 34,514 fans.

And then there's the once overlooked recruiting gem that is Edgewater graduate Quincy McDuffie. He owns the owns the team's longest receiving touchdown of the season so far with 64 yards against East Carolina Oct. 4.

College football rosters don't have to resemble their area, of course. But fans carry an affection for hometown teams that give local kids a chance to shine.

That was not the story for the UCF football nine years ago. George O'Leary and his crew were routinely criticized for overlooking local athletes when they took over the program that once prided itself on recruiting local talent.

Those days appear to be history. It's a feat almost as important as finally owning a football stadium on campus or gaining acceptance into the Big East to some longtime supporters.

Bill Giovanetti, a Hall of Fame inductee who competed for UCF's inaugural football team from 1979-82, encouraged three of his four sons to compete for his alma mater.

"It's always been a thorn in our side why we didn't snag these kids locally from high schools here so the Florida States and Miamis don't come and snag them up," Giovanetti said.

There are currently 21 players from the greater Central Florida region, including Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Lake counties. Of those 21 players, 12 were offered scholarships outright. UCF's offense has three Central Florida athletes in the rotation, including Bortles, McDuffie and fullback Billy Giovanetti of Bishop Moore.

Local athletes account for seven rotation spots on defense paced by Dr. Phillips' Victor Gray and Edgewater's E.J. Dunston. Most impressive, though, is the fact that local kids are having a positive impact for the Knights, who narrowly lost 21-16 to the SEC's Missouri two weeks ago and stomped East Carolina 40-20 in their first conference game of the season.

UCF won't become a Florida or Florida State caliber program in the next decade. The elite talent will always go to the historically elite schools. And some kids just want to leave home and get a new experience.

But there is enough high school football talent in Central Florida for the Knights to aggressively pursue and with the incentive of the Big East Conference around the corner, UCF needs to continue to court home first.

We've seen what can happen when mid-sized schools strategically pursue area talent and stimulate growth and community support. USF, anyone?

The Bulls are struggling now, but they aren't far removed from a Top 10 national ranking.

Sorry to mention those painful three letters. I realize the USF-UCF growth parallel is a sore spot around these parts, but we have to keep it real.

The schools are almost mirror images of each other in terms of size, history and resources. With so much similarity, there should be little reason for a Central Florida kid to feel compelled to drive an hour down I-4 to get the same opportunity he can get 30 minutes from his house.

"I think it's excellent when we can recruit locally," Giovanetti said. "It builds more of an ownership locally once you've got your own kids playing at the field at Bright House."

College football is built on tradition and community. Central Florida is already behind the eight-ball on tradition given the school's youth. But they are starting to capitalize on the community and, this season, it's paying off.

That's something football fans in Central Florida should be able to support.